FAQ


Here are some quick answers to the most common questions I've actually been asked:

Q:  Alaska to Mexico!? Are you guys crazy!?
A:  Probably--but trust me, there are plenty that are even crazier.  Some people ride all the way to Panama, or even Tierra Del Fuego, the Southern most tip of South America.  And I've heard of people riding down one side, and the right back up the other! NUTS!

Q: You are full of crap. That's not even possible.
A: Um... thats not a question, but yes, it is definitely possible, and no we are not full of crap.

Q: Did you guys have a car or a motor home following you?
A: No.  We were completely unsupported.

Q: Wow! Are you guys like in the Olympics or something!?
A: Nope.

Q: Was it just you two brothers on the ride?
A:  Only until we reached Vancouver, BC.  My dad joined up with us there for the remainder of the ride, and our friend Rene joined up with us there too, until Lincoln City, Oregon.

Q: How long did it take?
A: 11 weeks.  77 days.  About 2.5 months.

Q: How far was the whole ride?
A: Our GPS odometer clocked in about 4100 miles.

Q: When you got to Mexico, did you guys ride back to Utah?
A:  Too us, this seems like a rediculous question, however to an outsider I can see how the whole idea of riding from Anchorage to Tijuana would seem rediculous in the first place, therefore making it seem not too unreasonable to at least ask it.  The answer is no.  We flew back to Utah from the San Diego airport, which we did ride our bikes to from TJ.

Q: How come?
A:  Hmm... it is kinda hard to verbalize.  I guess the most simple answer is that it just didn't sound like fun.  If I were to keep on riding from TJ, I'd rather go further in the direction I've been heading the whole time, like down the Baja strip to Panama, or into South America.

Q: Did you hear about that one guy that went from that one place all the way to that other place?
A: Yeah.  Just---yeah.

Q: Oh.  His trip was much further and more amazing than yours.
A: ... Yeah, that's not even a question.

Q: How much did the whole trip cost?
A: After going back over my bank records, it looks like it actually cost about $1 per mile--so about $4000.  Alaska and Canada were the most expensive areas.

Q: Did you guys go down Highway 101 the whole way?
A: Well, no.  It doesn't go up that far North.  From Anchorage to Vancouver we took several different highways that make up Alaska Highway 1, including the Glenn Highway, Richardson Highway, Tok Cutoff Highway, ending in Tok, Alaska.  From there we took Alaska Highway 2 South untill it just turned into the "Alaska Highway" or Hwy 1 through the Yukon, headed South on Brittish Columbia Hwy 37, also known as the "Cassiar Highway" or the Alaska-Stewart Highway, then we took CAN 16 (the Trans Canadian Highway) Southeast to BC 97 (the Cariboo Highway) which then turned into BC 97C/TRANS CAN 1 all the way into Vancouver.  We took a ferry to Vancouver Island, rode to Victoria, then took a ferry to Port Angeles, which finally got us onto US 101.  The rest of the way to Mexico, we stayed on 101 and then CA-1 as much as possible unless there were sections where bikes aren't allowed, or unless there were other, more scenic routes closer to the ocean.

Q: Did you guys camp, or stay in hotels?
A: Mostly we camped.  Mark and I stayed in hotels three times out of the 31 nights between Anchorage and Vancouver.  In Vancouver, we stayed at a friends house.  Past there, because our dad wanted to, we stayed in several hotels along the way, but still mostly camped.  The hiker/biker campsites down highway 101 through Washington, Oregon, and California are wonderful, and should not be missed.

Q: Isn't Alaska like completely covered in ice and snow?
A: No.  Durring the summer months most of it is incredibly lush and green.  Generally, the trees grow like weeds up there--but there were a few areas that were rocky and barren, and we saw a good handfull of small sand dunes banked against the highway here and there.

Q: In the blog you said on one of the days that you thought you wouldn't do it again for less than a million dollars.  Do you still stand by that?
A:  No.  No no no.  Those days on the road were the defining days in my life, and I ache to be back riding through Alaska, Canada, and the Pacific Coast.

Q: What is the next trip you are planning?
A:  Well, there are  a couple of things.  I'd still like to hike the Pacific Crest Trail soon, and Everest is on my list.  I also would like to attempt the ride from Anchorage or Fairbanks down to Tierra Del Fuego.  In the near future though, I think we might hit just the California coast, or maybe Anchorage to Vancouver.  I'd love to do that ride again.